The Language of Mistynese
by Warlordess
Summary: Complete. Ash learns the difference between boys and girls while trying to understand Misty better. And thanks to Brock of all people. Pokeshipping. Happy Valentines Day!
1. Part One

**Disclaimer **- I'm too lazy to try and be creative about this. No, I don't own anything to do with the series, including plots or characters. I just take advantage of them.

**Notes **- Hah, well, I've been working on this fic in my notebook since around November of last year and a lot of things have happened that put it on hold, but I wanted to have it up on FFN by February 14th. You know, as a Valentines gift for all of the Pokeshippers still out there, let alone those of you who remember _me_. Lol.

Oh, also, there's some warning for. . . mature!Ash. Lol. I just wanted to put that out there in the open so nobody can come whining to me about how he isn't like himself.

This fic **starts **in **Johto**.

O-o-O

**Author **- Chibi / Warlordess

**Title **- "The Ancient Language of Mistynese"

**Summary **- Ash learns the difference about boys and girls while trying to understand Misty better. And thanks to Brock of all people.

O-o-O

**Part One**

O-o-O

Brock said it had taken him most of his adolescent life to put together that stupid book. Well, that and the fact that it was sure to revolutionize male versus female relationships. Ash didn't understand it though. After all, Brock recollected using it to try and woo a girl before - of course with no such luck. Still, Ash was offered the godsend and he accepted it because he didn't know how to turn it down.

"I'm only letting you borrow it though. I'll need it back at some point, like when I find the woman of my dreams!" Brock sighed blissfully, crowing the most obvious two choices to come to mind first. "Oh, Officer Jenny! Oh, Nurse Joy. . . !" And then he wandered off to start on dinner.

At first Ash was skeptical. He leafed through the pages at random times, usually towards the end of the night when the fire was dying and everyone else was asleep and he was tempted to join them. He had never been a fan of books, really, with the exception of comics and magazines depicting the latest great battles between the Elite Four and their challengers.

He showed it to Pikachu too, trusting his buddy's opinion more than anyone else's. Then again, Pikachu couldn't understand Brock's handwriting (or any human's for that matter) unless it was a rare word that was familiar to him so Ash had to try and explain how girls were from a different universe than guys. This only made it worse, of course. The only girl Pikachu knew well was Misty. She was a perfect example in Ash's opinion, but Pikachu got along so well with her that he didn't see it like Ash did.

Without realizing it, he had decided to give Brock's guide a chance. And the time for it came so suddenly, he was almost too late.

"Geez, Ash, I can't believe you got us lost again!" Misty ranted, though she still deftly continued to follow him as he glanced back and forth between his map and the path (or lack thereof) before them. Brock sighed, knowing what was in store. Then he slowed down for a second, removed his sack from his shoulders, and located the first bottle of aspirin he could find, along with the canteen slung around his arm. "I swear, they need to designate somebody to mark these paths. We'll never get anywhere with you blindly leading us!"

"Really, Misty? 'Cause I remember the last time we let you hold the map, we ended up wandering around for almost three hours before you finally listened to Brock about us walking in a giant circle."

"Yeah, well," she broke off here for a moment, trying to figure out what she could say to that, "well that was because you wouldn't hold Togepi for me. She's really fussy when somebody doesn't pay her all of their attention, which I couldn't do because you guys wanted to get to the next town ASAP."

"Is that the best you got? Any other time you would have told me that I wasn't responsible enough or mature enough to take care of Togepi."

"Yeah, but even I can admit that you're better than nothing," she mumbled. He did a double-take, his jaw dropping for a second, but she caught her slip-up and rephrased. "At least I thought you would be, but you didn't even try that time, and now we're lost. Again. And who can we thank for that, huh? Any guesses?"

He gulped, feeling the guilt and shame prickle at the back of his mind. She had him there. Not that he'd ever let _her _know that.

"I mean, you've been trying to do this for over three years. How hard is it to read a map correctly and not get us lost for once?" She scoffed at him, Togepi wriggling in her slightly stiff grip. "You're just so dense sometimes."

He blinked while Brock and Pikachu braced themselves for the worst. By now it was bound to get far worse before it got better. But Ash didn't say anything. Maybe Misty had gotten so good that she'd knocked him out with just a look? But no, he was definitely still standing.

Ash had heard that before, though. Well, of course Misty had said it before (it was only her favorite insult) but that wasn't it. As he repeated the words to himself inside his head, he saw them scribbled out before him on paper.

He turned on his heel and faced away from Misty, who stared dumbfounded then glanced at Brock curiously. Brock shrugged then grew ecstatic as he bent down to see Ash remove the trusted guide from his backpack. Then he flipped through the first few pages until he found what he needed.

[You're so stupid sometimes,] it quoted. He figured that the words could probably vary a little bit as long as the meaning was the same. And it was pretty easy to tell what Misty had said. So now the only question he could ask was what did she _mean_?

[You're so stupid sometimes.] Translation? [You're lucky I put up with you.]

He didn't really know what to say to that. He wanted to get smart with her but he had a feeling that wasn't what the book was for. So he quickly stashed it in his bag again and turned to face the redhead, who stared defiantly at him despite not understanding his behavior.

"Yeah, Misty, maybe you're right!" He laughed daftly with a hand at the back of his head. "I might be, I guess."

Of course he had meant that, yeah, he was lucky that Misty could stand to put up with him (though it nearly killed him to admit it) but the only blank Misty knew to fill in was about him being dense.

Well, it wasn't exactly what Ash was going for but he did keep the war from starting, and he won based on the technicality, for Misty was downright speechless.

Brock silently applauded Ash's efforts, nearly whooping in glee. Not only did this prove his book was a successful method to winning a girl over, but on a personal note he would not have to deal with his companions' fighting nearly as much if Ash could beat it to the punch.

Ash himself hardly dared to believe it. He had won the fight. He looked at Pikachu, who was sitting on the ground between him and Misty, too shocked to shock them. Not that it was necessary anymore.

By far the best, however, was Misty's expression. She really had no response to Ash calling himself stupid (or so she thought he was doing). Of course, once she realized that she had made him feel that way, the guilt began to set in. She couldn't believe what she was about to do. . . but she did it anyway.

"I - I'm sorry, Ash." She started, "Look, it's really not so bad, is it? At least we're getting our exercise. Just try harder, and you know you can always ask Brock for help."

"Huh?" But he wasn't really asking a question. He just didn't know what else to say. Even if Brock's book managed to work at all, he definitely hadn't expected an apology of all things from _Misty_. He looked at Brock, who stared dumbfoundedly back, then down at Pikachu, who gave him a pointed motion. Apparently, though he had no idea what Misty was sorry for, he was supposed to blindly accept it.

Well, okay then.

"Ah, that's okay, Misty!" He said confidently with a guffaw. He gave her a pat on the shoulder, which must have made her feel vastly uncomfortable seeing as she turned pink in the face.

The incident marked the turning point in their friendship. Misty knew no better since she didn't know about Ash's secret weapon. And he was determined to keep it that way. He didn't know what she'd do if she found out he was manipulating her but he was sure it couldn't be good. Yet after his successful encounter with the test subject he found the book a little more interesting, so he decided to keep reading. He even began to memorize some of the examples from the text; mostly those that seemed like they would definitely apply to his relationship with Misty.

It was after earning his Mineral Badge from Jasmine, after staring at it for three hours, shining it up six different times, and recollecting four times exactly how he'd managed to win the battle. Quite frankly, the rest of them were sick of it, even Pikachu. And Misty being Misty, she was first to crack.

"Geez, egotistical much?" She quipped almost snobbishly, but she was irritated damnit! He turned and glared at her, but it only lasted a moment before a bright smile replaced it. After all, he'd won his Gym match and he was one step closer to the Johto League. Nobody - not even Misty - could take that pride away from him.

But Misty's scowl only deepened as he opened the flap of his vest and took in the sight of the badges he'd pinned there.

"Pika. . ." Pikachu sighed exasperatedly, a claw clamped to his face before being dragged downward past his mouth. "Pikachu pika pika, Pikapi?"

"Nah, of course not buddy! What makes you think that?"

"Wow Ash, what did he say? Maybe something about you getting ahead of yourself, or about your big head slowing us down?" Misty asked in a sugary tone while Brock buried his head deeper in the map, not wanting to get involved.

Ash flinched, probably because she was at least a little bit right in her assumption, and then gritted his teeth in a tight-lipped smile.

"Of course not Misty! I mean, just because I blew away all of the Gym Leaders I've faced in the past with my quick thinking and skillful strategizing doesn't mean anything. I'm just really good at what I do." He smirked at her and her grip on Togepi involuntarily tightened.

"_All _of the Gym Leaders. . . ?" She asked while her eyebrow twitched. She was growing livid now. Ash was the most troublesome, irresponsible, _luckiest _kid she'd ever met. But now he was trying to undermine the importance of his modest victories from when he'd first started training? "Ash, did you receive any recent head injuries or brain damage--?"

"--Only when you hit me with that stupid mallet of yours. . ." He interrupted with a mutter.

The two of them stared each other down for a minute while Pikachu charged up for a thunderous warning. But Misty beat him to it after deciding she'd definitely had enough.

She growled, and then lashed out, "Ash, I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"

"No thanks," he replied, looking quite bored at the prospect, and she face-faulted.

"W - why not?" She asked him after making a speedy recovery.

He opened his mouth to tell her that, quite frankly, he didn't see a reason for it. After all, in a fair match she stood no chance against him. Even without Pikachu in arms, he still had others in his arsenal with a type-advantage, like Meganium. Plus Noctowl had his great speed and accuracy from the air, not to mention his _Hypnosis _technique. Really, what was the challenge in it if he battled Misty at his current level?

But looking at her made him bite his tongue. She was glaring fiercely at him with the dark eyes that belied her true feelings. Her pride was at stake here, both professionally and personally. If he rejected her (forceful) request, she didn't know what she'd do.

Still Ash didn't want to battle her. If he did, and then won, she'd probably be really upset (and then she'd rant for a fair few days about it). If he battled her and lost (probably on purpose to appease those same emotions) then she would know it in a heartbeat. She liked to tread all over his ego when the situation called for it, but despite that, she still had _some _faith in him. The reason she was so unreasonably angry now most likely had something to do with that too.

But wait, wait. . . Didn't he read about something like this?

He flashed back to his late night scavenging through Brock's guide and saw, in his mind, the vision of a woman on the defensive.

[Don't disrespect what I'm capable of!] Translation? [I want you to acknowledge me!]

Oh, was that all this was about? Then again, in leau of their testy friendship, Ash really couldn't remember a time when he'd complimented Misty at all, let alone on her skills as a Pokemon trainer. Maybe he did owe her _something_. . .

"Well, why won't you? Afraid that it'll end with you patting the dust off your butt rather than patting your own shoulder when I blow you away?"

"No," he relented, eyeing Pikachu cautiously for any electrical discharge and Brock, who had quirked an eyebrow, not sure what he was trying to pull now, "No. . . I just don't see the point. I mean, I know I'm good. . . and we both know that you are too. You're strong, Misty. You don't need to test yourself against me. Wait until you find someone you really want to challenge. That way, when you beat 'em, your sisters will have to acknowledge you," he finished with a nice touch.

Misty's frustration seemed to evaporate in a matter of moments. First to hit her was the shock. Ash had just boasted about her abilities as a Pokemon trainer. Then there was the confusion. What was he trying to pull anyway? After that was the admiration. Ash had just attempted to reach out to her by saying something so sweet. The least she could do was respond maturely.

"W - well, yeah, maybe you're right. . ." And then she conceded defeat and added, "and you're a good trainer too, of course."

Nobody had a response to that. Ash had already realized that he'd paved the way forward in their relationship, and now Misty was beginning to give whatever she had in her at the time too. He couldn't help wondering if she saw it as a new kind of technique for fighting. The thought aggravated him for some reason. He hadn't figured it out until now that he was trying to transition the two of them beyond that stage. He didn't want to spend his days wasted fighting with her.

After that time, he started to depend on Brock's guide, something he never thought he'd do with anything of Brock's that related to girls. But discovering that he actually _liked _the Misty he could understand made him feel warm inside, even if he was a little confused too. He'd never been interested in girls before - at all - so what could this mean? It was Misty too. What did _that _mean? He offhandedly thought about asking Brock but he didn't want to press his luck even more than he was already.

And speaking of Brock. . .

"There he goes again." Misty sighed frustratedly. She cracked her knuckles and then prepared to stomp forward and drag him away from the latest Nurse Joy. Ash stood back with Pikachu on his shoulder, both of them sweatdropping from the exasperation. How many times had they seen the exact same thing?

"You'd better step in before Officer Jenny shows up too. Knowing him, he'd try to flirt with her _while _she's arresting him for sexual harassment." Ash said it offhandedly, but was surprised to see Misty laugh at his joke. Usually she laughed at the things he _did_. It was kind of a nice feeling, making a girl laugh. Ash blushed as he thought about it but he stopped right after that.

It hit him quite suddenly that he'd just acknowledged Misty was a girl. It made sense obviously. Brock's book was supposed to help with understanding _girls_. . . but thinking about Misty like that made him feel weird inside. She was the same person he'd always known and yet now he wondered if she needed to be treated differently.

He was held so captive by the thought that he didn't even realize Misty had already grabbed Brock by the ear, pulled him back, apologized to Nurse Joy (who said it was no problem), and had now begun to chastise Brock as per usual.

"Really Brock? Again? How many times does Nurse Joy have to reject you before you realize it's probably not going to work out? I mean, what are you expecting us to do if the rumor gets around that there's some sort of skirt-chasing Breeder traveling with a couple kids? What if Nurse Joy refuses to help us? What if other businesses do? What if--" But Misty blinked halfway into her rant, realizing Brock had escaped from her and had just started hitting on a couple of girls who had entered the Center.

"It's a lost cause, Misty. You should probably just give in and let everything run its course," Ash laughed, knowing Brock would probably be smacked sometime soon.

"Chu chu, Pikachu Pi."

"Hmph!" Misty crossed her free arm, the other still gripping Togepi. "I know, okay? It's just. . . they're not even that pretty, you know?"

Ash blinked, recognizing that line very clearly from a hypothetical example in his book.

[What are you looking at? She's not even that cute!] Apparently the woman was jealous about being overlooked while another was in the room. Ash didn't really get it, and he couldn't believe Misty would feel so threatened by someone she knew nothing about. Then again, that was why he was doing all of _this _right?

But, and his brow furrowed as the thought came to him, did it mean she was jealous of the girl getting all of this attention, or was she jealous of the girl getting all of _Brock's _attention? He shuddered, praying it wasn't the latter. It was disturbing, not to mention it made him feel weird. Well, weirder than he'd already admitted to feeling. Something at the back of his consciousness prickled into activity. Was he. . . angry? He didn't understand that at all. Maybe he needed to consult Brock's book. Or maybe. . . he should toss the book over the nearest cliff. You know, only after he stomped on it some, and let Pikachu _Thunderbolt _it, and Cyndaquil _Flame-thrower _it. . .

What, why was he thinking like that?

Beside him, Misty sniffed indignantly. And when he almost jumped but turned to stare at her face, he saw what she was trying to hide. And then he remembered - (slightly somber) - what Brock's guide had said about this moment.

Translation? [I want someone to call _me _pretty.]

Well, he definitely couldn't be _that _bold. But he could try to get the point across. Maybe that would be all she needed in the end. So he decided to take a deep breath, and then the plunge.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know what he sees in any of those girls." And he laced his tone with mild disinterest. Misty turned to look at him but he couldn't tell what she was thinking under her layer of shock.

And then she laughed and he felt mysteriously flustered.

"Yeah right. Even I can tell why he likes those girls. But thanks for trying to cheer me up. That was. . . nice of you." She didn't look him in the eyes just yet, her face glowing a bit. Then she shook it off and pressed her finger to his chest as though having a point to make. "Just don't think you can butter me up saying stuff like that. You still owe me a bike, you know?"

He gulped and his mind raced. He really wanted to tell her that he hadn't been going for that _at all _but he realized soon after that she probably wasn't bringing up the bike to serve as a warning about where they stood. More likely than that, she seemed to be looking for some kind of a distraction. But why would she need something like that anyway?

Still, rather than ask her the obvious question, he bit his lip, and the words vanished on the way to his mouth. She looked at him expectantly, able to see that he wanted to tell her something.

"Uh. . . well. . . I mean, was I really so funny?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I made you laugh twice. I was just wondering why you made it so easy."

"Geez Ash, what a stupid thing to say," but she didn't sound angry, "No, you aren't that funny so don't go on about giving up your Pokemon training license for a time-slot on televised stand-up comedy." She wasn't done speaking yet, though her gaze dropped to Togepi bundled in her arms before she could continue. "I was just thinking at the time that, you know, you were a little smarter than I give you credit for. Or maybe. . . more mature?" Then she shook it off and snorted, "Unlike Brock, who just can't seem to grow up."

Then she strode forward again to pull aforementioned Pokemon trainer away from his newest victim, leaving Ash alone.

"Pikapi?"

Well, almost alone. The moment he'd just shared with his friend Misty had felt so intimate that he'd forgotten Pikachu was there with him all along. He even found himself expecting her words to mean that Brock had nothing to do with her former sadness.

"Hey buddy, let's have Nurse Joy check you out, okay?" He said in an effort to test his voice. He felt a little shaky, like his breath had been stolen from him but for the life of him he couldn't figure out _why_.

Of course, Misty began to grow suspicious at some point. Ash had been treating her better lately, like he was trying. Like he cared. The point was he seemed to get her, something the old Ash would never have been capable of. He treated her bluntly up until a few months ago, and then he'd started speaking to her softly, comforting her, calming her. She didn't know what was up anymore. The worst part was that she liked this sweet, attentive Ash who treated her like a girl. Her sisters, Brock, most people in general, had never given her that courtesy. Togepi had been the only one to see her like that, what with her maternal instinct. Well, there was Rudi, but the attraction had been rather short-lived.

Still, she felt out of sorts. This _was _Ash, after all. Since when did he know how to differentiate between boys and girls on a sexual basis? The idea vibrantly lit up her face. She was probably thinking on this too much, wasn't she?

"Here Misty, dinner," Brock interrupted, handing her a plate. "I'll take Togepi so she can eat with all of the other Pokemon. Oh, and give your plate to Ash when you're done. It's his turn to do dishes."

"Speaking of Ash," Misty started, withdrawing Togepi just a little bit so Brock couldn't take her and run for it, "have you noticed anything different about him recently? I mean, he's. . ." She faltered helplessly. She didn't know how to word it and hoped Brock would catch on soon on his own.

"Uh, _no_. . ." He emphasized. She couldn't tell if he was lying to her, but for the sake of being an overly-suspicious person, she would treat him as if he was.

Furiously, she pulled a fidgety Togepi back into her arms and tore into her first bit of turkey sandwich. At the same time, she glared at him threateningly, daring him to walk away and leave her hanging. Well, if there was one thing Brock had learned after three years of traveling with her, it was to never make an angry Misty angrier.

"Well, what do you mean?"

"I mean he's just. . . different! I mean, he makes jokes, he knows what to say when I'm upset, and it's like everything I say, he knows exactly what I mean!"

"I'm confused. Is that a bad thing?"

"No," she started, sighing with resignation, "No, I guess not. But it scares me a little bit. An Ash who understands me can do more damage to me than an Ash who doesn't."

"Oh." He knew what she was trying to say. In fact, not having thought about that consequence himself, he felt at least a little bit guilty.

Of course, not enough to risk dismemberment by telling her the truth.

"Well, look at it this way," he began sympathetically. "Maybe this was what you needed. For the first time in almost two years, you two have a chance at moving forward. And besides, what are you expecting? Do you think he somehow obtained a guide on how to impress girls thanks to some romantic genius guru, and now he's testing it out on you?"

They both stared at one another for a few seconds before Brock unleashed an awkward laugh. Misty joined him and he took the opportunity to pull Togepi out of her one-armed grip. Misty let him go, though her questions and fears still remained.

Later on, Brock was laying out everyone's sleeping bags while Misty had trailed Ash to the nearby stream, carrying some of the cooking utensils in an effort to help him. . . and be alone with him.

She felt she had no choice but to confront the problem at its source, even if she had to pull together nearly every ounce of courage left in her to do it. But even then, Ash seemed to keep a vow of silence as he knelt down with Misty beside him. Maybe Brock had warned him about her interest in his sudden alteration in behavior towards her?

"Hey Ash. . . have you been feeling okay?"

"Um. . . sure Misty; why are you asking all of a sudden?"

She stared at him with her face in her palm. He seemed nervous under her scrutinizing gaze, but that was to be expected. And she wouldn't back down just because he didn't want to deal with her.

"Don't play games with me," she told him, irritated. "You're acting so weird. You talk like you know exactly what I'm telling you every time. You don't fight with me anymore because you always know what I need to hear so we don't get that far. I don't get it. Brock says maybe you're just growing up. . ."

Ash rolled his eyes. Of course Brock would escape incrimination by telling her something like that. Well, Ash knew one thing without a doubt and that was that he definitely wasn't going down alone. He could afford to keep it a secret for awhile yet.

"Hah, yeah, okay. And what do you think?"

"I think it's a load of crap. But since nobody will give me another option to choose from, I guess that's all I've got."

"Yeah. Maybe you're right. After all, it's not like someone could write a book on it."

Misty's palm slipped and she nearly fell face forward. But she gazed at Ash anyway, eyes wide, jaw hanging just enough to notice. She was stunned. After all, Brock had said almost the exact same thing, hadn't he? In response, Ash stared back at her, judging from her expression that he'd slipped up.

"What do you mean by that?" Misty asked next, feeling nearly triumphant. Surely now she would get the answers she was looking for. Now he had nowhere to hide. He had to answer her.

Right?

"Nothing," his eyes averted towards the stream again as he slipped a few more dishes underwater, "It was a joke and I didn't mean anything by it."

"You did. You had to. Nothing else can explain everything else that's happened recently leading up to this. Tell me now, Ash. I'm getting mad."

He gulped and finally looked at her but otherwise remained on the defensive.

"Look, even if I did mean something by it, which I'm not saying that I did, I couldn't tell you. I feel like I'm doing the right thing here. We're getting along so well, right? And Pikachu hasn't had to shock us out of an argument in months. You can't tell me that you don't consider that a good thing."

"No, I mean yes, I mean. . . You're right, it's good. And it's not like I don't like it too but. . ." And here was where she chose to just be honest with him, ". . . it's just that - yeah, you might understand me and that's good. . . but now I don't understand _you_."

Oh. He blinked, not knowing how to respond. But still, in his head, in his heart. . . He knew if he could just push this a little longer that everything he had done so far would mean more than, well, anything. If he could keep this going, surely all of the feelings he had begun to experience would come to a head. He was happy to know Misty better, but now? Now he needed a conclusion.

"Sorry Misty. I still don't have any idea what you mean. If I knew something, if I could tell you, I would. But right now, there's just nothing to say." Something in his chest pinched tightly at the knowledge that he'd just lied to her. He tried to hold the pain at bay by telling himself that she only wanted him to tell her the truth to sate her minor curiosities.

But even if Misty hadn't figured out that he was lying, the look on her face in the next second was enough to scare him nearly stiff.

"Misty. . ."

"No, don't _even_, Ash." She immediately hopped to her feet, turning her back on him. "Leave me alone. If you don't, I swear I'll rip you a new one." His eyes widened as she heaved breath after her finishing statement towards him. He was not pleased to note that he recognized that line from Brock's guide.

Translation? Well, in all honesty, there wasn't one. When a girl said they wanted to be alone so much that they threatened a guy with bodily harm, they meant it. And Ash knew by now as a devoted follower of Brock's guide not to fight against the tide. But what was he supposed to do then that would alleviate Misty's suspicions, something that wouldn't cost him any of the progress he'd made. . . ?

Misty was mad, furious, livid. So when Ash's hand snaked its way up to her shoulder, she felt the rash urge to break every single one of his fingers. But she was able to hold back and waited for him to wise up and let her go. Unfortunately, he still had something to say.

"Misty, what are you thinking? That I'm playing a joke on you? I'm not, I promise. I know you're not used to it but I'm telling you that this is sincere. I'm not trying to hurt you."

_Of course not,_ Misty wanted to say. _You never have to try, do you?_ But she couldn't tell him that. It was like eating a tub of peanut butter all in one bite. Her throat was glued shut and she had to focus all of her attention on breathing through her nose. She couldn't believe that he'd done it _again_.

"But I'll let you go. I hope you believe me." His words left her strangely at peace, even despite her frustration.

He released her so that she could mutely stumble away, back towards camp. Again. He'd done it again. She didn't know what was what anymore. She just wanted to know where the two of them stood. Without their fighting to keep them balanced, she wasn't sure who she was to Ash anymore. He didn't much argue with her, he refused to battle her if she only wanted to do it out of spite, he never took the opportunity to insult her. . .

She blushed as the thought crossed her mind. Mature Ash? Was that even remotely possible? But her heart raced a little bit anyway, knowing how much could change between them. Their entire dynamic would alter, but not only that. No, no. . . it now stood the chance of _growing_. She could get closer, he could come to see what she wanted and maybe. . . maybe reciprocate her feelings.

Because, for her, there were definitely feelings, as was the case with most teenage girls. But what was the point of trying to do anything about them when the other person didn't understand? Ash had always been all about Pokemon training, all about the next battle, the next badge, the next League. Something so measly as _love _couldn't possibly compare to that.

Well, at least, not before. But now. . . if he was even slightly honest about growing up, then maybe. . .

"So how did it go?"

She literally shook her head in order to end that line of dangerous thinking. That was when she realized she was back at the campgrounds and Brock was staring at her, arms crossed. But he didn't necessarily look like he was going to reprimand her.

"Go? How did _what _go? What are you talking about?"

"Really, Misty? Fine. How was your talk with Ash? I mean, what else would have made you follow after him and leave Togepi behind with me and Pikachu? Either you wanted to be alone to seduce him or--"

"--Brock!" She shrieked.

"--_or _you wanted to confront him about his behavior. So what did he say? Did he tell you anything important?"

"No. He said a bunch of other stuff that made me feel. . ." She drifted off here, not wanting to share that with Brock, ". . . and even when we talked about you and what you said--"

"--Lies, all of it!" Brock yelled suddenly, causing Misty to jump. "I never told him _anything_, and I sure didn't give him any ideas!"

"Yeah," Misty eyed him as she replied a little too calmly, "that's basically what he said."

". . . Oh."

"Yeah," she repeated, "So nothing really happened, he wouldn't budge at all. It just frustrates me so much!" She exclaimed next, a hand running through her bangs. She wanted to clutch her head. She felt a headache coming on. This was Psyduck-worthy trouble, this was.

But all it did was tire her out. She was angry because she just knew something was going on, she was upset about her friends keeping secrets, she was happy because Ash had helped her have faith that he was serious about this. Quite frankly, she just decided to give up for the time being. Nobody was telling her anything no matter how hard she pried. If her conversation with Ash had convinced her of one thing, it was that she might as well just sit back and enjoy it all.

"I'm going to bed Brock. You put Togepi to sleep and laid her in my sleeping bag already, right?"

"Ah, yeah. I did."

"Okay, goodnight. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight."

O-o-O

**Notes **- Hahah, so. . . yeah, this was definitely going to be a one-shot. Originally. But then I kept writing and writing and, before I knew it, it turned out to be over twelve-thousand words long. And I'm not even done with it yet. Almost, but not quite. But I also wanted to post something for Valentine's day, and this was going to be it, so I decided to at least start posting it before. It'll probably end up being three chapters, and I'm working on the final scene in my spare time. I'd like to guarantee that this thing is finished before or on the fourteenth of the month, but I don't think it will be. It should be finished by the middle of next week, I hope.

In the meantime, I could definitely use some support! Please review and tell me what you thought! Keep in mind that I warned you all about Mature!Ash. Lol.


	2. Part Two

**Disclaimer **- I'm too lazy to try and be creative about this. No, I don't own anything to do with the series, including plots or characters. I just take advantage of them.

**Notes **- Hah, well, I've been working on this fic in my notebook since around November of last year and a lot of things have happened that put it on hold, but I wanted to have it up on FFN by February 14th. You know, as a Valentines gift for all of the Pokeshippers still out there, let alone those of you who remember _me_. Lol.

Oh, also, there's some warning for. . . mature!Ash. Lol. I just wanted to put that out there in the open so nobody can come whining to me about how he isn't like himself.

This fic **starts **in **Johto**.

O-o-O

**Author **- Chibi / Warlordess

**Title **- "The Ancient Language of Mistynese"

**Summary **- Ash learns the difference about boys and girls while trying to understand Misty better. And thanks to Brock of all people.

O-o-O

**Part Two**

O-o-O

A month or so later, Ash was shocked to find that his secret was still just that - a secret. He had been so sure that Misty would follow up on her suspicions, snooping around until she found exactly what she'd been looking for. But she chose to let it go, which made him feel bolder. She wasn't looking for answers because, somewhere inside her, she liked what was happening. Did she want him to keep going?

Their group approached the Whirl Islands very quickly. Before Ash knew it, he and Misty had entered into the Whirl Cup Water-Pokemon tournament, though it wasn't starting for a day or two, so Brock suggested they look around town for supplies and souvenirs for their families back home.

It was when they passed the toy store (one of Brock's brothers was _dying _to have a Tyranitar action figure) that Misty got distracted.

"Awe, look at them all! Aren't they just adorable?" She shrieked, dragging Brock, Ash, and Pikachu over to an area covered nearly wall to wall in Water Pokemon dolls. She hurriedly snatched up a Squirtle plushie and held it up to Togepi.

"Toki tokeprii!" She said ecstatically, trying to throw herself at the toy as though embracing a new friend. Misty laughed at the adorable sight before putting the Squirtle back and picking up a Chimchou. That was replaced with a Maril, then a Poliwhirl, then a Starmie, Golduck, Dratini, Totodile. . .

"C'mon guys, tell me these aren't the sweetest things ever!" And she held up her newest choice - Seal - for them to investigate.

"Hm. . . well, they look good. The craftsmanship here must be high quality. But," Brock noted after leaning in to see for himself, "these just aren't my thing."

Misty pouted, silently turning to face Ash, but he shook his head and shrugged, not all that impressed.

"Sorry Misty. I just don't see what you see."

Her pout turned into a scowl and she put the Seal back down, spinning around to leave. At the last moment, a Tentacool caught her eye and she bit her lip to keep from squealing. Her fingers brushed against the plush material but she withdrew them almost immediately.

"Okay, sorry guys. Ah, but hey, I think I saw something I could get for my sisters next-door in the window. They had a Clampearl barrette collection. You don't mind if we check it out real quick, do you?"

"As long as there are no more stuffed dolls, anything is okay," Ash laughed as he said it, waving an arm around. They began walking through the isles towards the front door, Misty drifting a little bit behind. It was as they walked through the entrance that Ash happened to hear her mutter to herself when he held the door open for her.

"But it was so cute."

A secret event took place a few days later, the night before Ash and Misty were supposed to battle one another. While Brock was helping Misty prepare Togepi's meal to distract her from the nerves she felt because of the oncoming competition, he snuck away back to that same shop and bought the Tentacool plushie.

After all, according to Brock's book, [So cute,] translated to, [I want one,] and though Ash still couldn't see why Misty liked it so much, he didn't need a reason.

The Tentacool plushie, just large enough to sit in the palm of his hand, was stored safely in his bag until the time he would need it. He felt nervous, fidgety, again. He'd never given anybody a gift before, especially a girl. But then again, it was supposed to serve as more of a consolation prize. At least, that's what he told himself.

The next day, he and Misty would battle against one another in their first and only official tournament, and though he was limited in Pokemon choice, he still assumed he would win. Partially due to his ego and partially his self-esteem, he could see it ending no other way. When Misty lost, therefore, he would give her the Tentacool plushie to help her feel better, then remind her that the loss was only a mild setback when compared to her grand dream. At least, that's what Brock said to do, because Ash could never know what to say all on his own. It was the weirdest thing in the world to him, realizing he wanted to do this _right_.

But then he'd been blown away unexpectedly after Psyduck had plowed through to victory against his Kingler. He wondered for a second in that moment if his absentmindedness had been caused by that same anxiety. The plushie was sitting in his bag back at the PokeCenter and he hadn't been able to get it off his mind since he'd bought it. . . And how else could he have been so dense so as to forget that Psyduck's headache fueled his power?

It hit him too that Misty was as serious about her dream as serious could get. It had been a close call, but while he swapped his Pokemon out for other types and situations, she had always known Water Pokemon the best of all. Strangely, it was the greatest battle he could ever remember (and the greatest loss), even if only because his stomach was tumbling and his mind was buzzing in excitement the whole time. It was due to the tension that victory held before him but also that of pitting two best friends against each other. Misty gave it her all and came out of the war unscathed, he could tell, _because _she respected him.

And though he never told her so, he was pretty sure she knew that he respected her too.

Ash kept the Tentacool doll for another night, not sure what to do. He could give it to Misty as a victory present, but he doubted it would compare to the step she'd finally taken in reaching her dream of being the greatest Water-type trainer. It frustrated him because he wanted the gift to be something she would appreciate.

It made him wonder what he had truly expected in buying such a thing.

Misty lost in the semi-finals of the Whirl Cup, but placing at all was such a great feat that she was only a little disappointed. And so Ash realized he shouldn't have worried at all. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But what was he supposed to do with the stupid Tentacool?

"Oh, Nurse Joy! Where'd you get that? It's so cute, isn't it?" Misty said excitedly after catching sight of the little doll sitting on top of her computer monitor.

"Yes, I thought so too," the Pokemon nurse smiled kindly before continuing, "but it's the strangest thing. I closed the front down last night, and when I came out this morning to open up it was just sitting here waiting. There was a note with it saying it was from an anonymous donor."

"Wow, that's weird. But it's definitely not a bad addition to the lobby!"

"Yes, I was thinking of using it as a comfort tool for those young, inexperienced trainers who have suffered a recent loss."

And still, as Misty talked with Nurse Joy, as she held that adorable little doll again, and as she picked up Togepi after her nutritional check-up, she wished that somebody would be brave enough, _sweet _enough, to put that kind of thought and feeling into a gift for her.

Soon after that botched event, Ash gave the book back to Brock. It was time for he and Misty to return home, for how long he didn't know. But he felt uncomfortable holding onto the guide when Misty wasn't around for him to use it. More-so than that, it had failed him in a way because he hadn't had any clue what to say to the Misty who ran away from him at the Viridian PokeCenter, thinking he didn't care, until it was almost too late. He wondered if he'd simply outgrown Brock's advice, learned as much as he could so that he could graduate from it.

In truth, the words Misty seemed to want to hear from him were not hard to find, but rather, they were hard to say. He'd never been scared of telling her something before (he was usually too stubborn for that) and because of that, he bit his tongue. What if she didn't want to hear _that _after all? What if she expected less of him? What if she expected more?

It was the role reversal that took place that day. When the two of them separated, Misty found herself at peace with Ash's farewell. Ash, on the other hand, felt awkward and unfinished. There had been something else that needed to be said, but he couldn't define what it was.

Brock rejoined him soon after that in Hoenn and, when Ash and May finally shattered the tranquility of their group with their first fight, he offered the use of his wonderful, magical, stupendous guide once again.

Ash rejected it right away, though there was no clear reason why. In his head - (heart?) - the only suitable excuse he could find was that the book had been his special link with Misty. It had helped them grow so close. Using it with another girl made no sense to him and, in fact, seemed downright taboo.

Luckily May was more mild-mannered than Misty. She and Ash rarely butted heads, and he learned fairly quickly that their relationship somehow differed from the one he had with Misty. Well, actually, there were a few reasons for that. Firstly, he was the teacher, the more experienced trainer, and she knew it. Secondly, though it might have just been him, there was a certain fire lacking between them. He didn't feel as driven after a conversation with her, but it wasn't as if he didn't enjoy talking to her. And then, thirdly, there was her eccentric bond with her rival, Drew. Ash found it interesting (and a little off-putting) that Drew distanced himself from most anyone (like _him_, for instance) but that he would begrudgingly accept _May_.

But then again, as Brock put it, to each their own. And besides that, May and Drew seemed to have the very same potential as he had with Misty. Not that he knew what that meant.

Then May journeyed to Johto and he met Dawn, another new trainer. She was a little harder to get along with at first because, well, she was a bit shallow despite caring for her Pokemon so much. And not just hers, he reminded himself, seeing as she'd saved Pikachu right after the two of them had arrived to the Orre region.

Her motto was to look the part and, as a Coordinator, a trainer who fought with style just as much as substance, she wanted to dress to kill. Ash had never cared too much for such a thing, minus his official Pokemon League cap, which was now sitting in a trophy case back home. Even that was stretching it, seeing as he'd gotten it for its collectors value, not to make a fashion statement. Wearing it to show how much he wanted to succeed in the Pokemon League was just a plus.

And even disregarding that, by the time they met at all, Ash was sixteen years old, and very proud of it. He wanted to befriend Dawn and maybe help her out as thanks for her helping Pikachu out, but felt no obligation beyond that.

After finishing the Sinnoh League, placing fifth of all participants and thinking finally all of his training was paying off for him, Dawn visited him later on into the night. They'd splurged after their victories, renting out a few rooms in a higher-class hotel. Even Brock congratulated them, saying they deserved it. Ash was relaxing on his bed after a full three course dinner, in the recovery stage.

There was a knock on the door. He paused in answering it. It was going on midnight after all. It couldn't be _that _important, right?

"Are you still up? Please open the door."

He still hesitated, just a moment longer, due to the curiosity. May had never done this before, and Misty had rarely ever complained about sharing a room with the boys since it was all their budget allowed. At the same time, he hadn't sensed anything strange in sharing a room with a girl. At that young age, they were no different then he was. But then why did it seem so peculiar - why was he so uncomfortable - now?

"O - oh, it's you Dawn. . . Is something wrong?" He asked her cautiously upon letting her in.

"No. I mean, not really. I guess I just wanted to talk, I sort of had something to tell you."

"Really? Uh. . . what is it?"

The two of them went to sit down, Ash immediately leaping for the computer chair, eyeing the bed as if it were his mortal enemy. Luckily Dawn took the armchair next to the window on his right, fidgeting with the hem of her pink cotton nightshirt, her ankles hanging from her too-short pant legs. She was unsure about this, she was nervous.

Knowing this made Ash's throat run dry.

"We came really far, didn't we?" She asked quite suddenly, her face bold.

"Huh. . . ? Ah, yeah, sure. I guess." This made him feel strange. What point could she be trying to make when starting a conversation with that question?

"I mean, you placed fifth in the Sinnoh League! I didn't think you could do it but I guess I was wrong," she said teasingly, poking at the ego she had just begun to inflate. "And I. . . I guess thanks to you and Brock, I was able to make it to the championship coordinating festival."

She suddenly got to her feet, the seat she'd been in before seemingly making her restless. She couldn't sit still.

"I've thought about it a lot the past few days, and when I realized what I wanted, I didn't know how to tell you."

"Well, I'm not a very deep person, Dawn. If you've got something to say, then say it. I mean, what do you think I'm going to do? And if it effects me, you're eventually going to have to tell me, right?" He tried to convince her, and she nodded in approval of his logic.

"Okay then, I guess you're right." She paced before him for a second, "It's just that I know that this thing is kind of hard for you to accept."

"What are you talking about?"

". . . I'm leaving, Ash. I'm gonna continue my journey alone."

He stared at her, his eyes slightly wide because of what he thought was a decision made based on impulse. Then he blinked and began to absorb the words, opening his mouth to respond but she beat him to it.

"After I finished in the festival competition, at the party to celebrate all of the participants, Zoey was talking about it, where to go next. It made me curious too, because I hadn't even thought of it until then. But I remembered what you told me about that other friend of yours, May. You said before she'd witnessed a coordinating competition in Hoenn that she wasn't even that interested in Pokemon training. So I figure that something that can chance a person's perceptions to that degree must be pretty intense. So I decided I'll go there next. I plan to call my mom tomorrow to tell her, but I thought maybe you'd like to know sooner than that."

"And why did you think that?" Ash gulped back his anxiety.

"Because you always, always talk about people who aren't there anymore. May, who left for Johto; Tracey, who went to train with Professor Oak; Misty, who left to maintain her family's Pokemon Gym. You've even mentioned somebody named Gary. You talk about them proudly because they were your friends, but like you're sort of disappointed because you want them to still be traveling with you.

"It's pretty easy to see that you're the kind of guy who thrives on companionship. So I'm telling you now so that you have more time to figure it all out. Well, that and. . . I also wanted to thank you. I mean, I didn't know much when I started, just what I picked up from hearing my mother's stories about her days as a coordinating champion. I know sometimes I was a little obstinate or selfish, and maybe immature," she paused here, realizing for herself just how humble she was at the moment, "but you made me eager to learn more. You were always so excited, always looking forward to the next challenge. . . so that it was easy for me to get excited too."

He was a little embarrassed, and wanted to say something that would inflate his ego out of habit, but he bit his tongue. Even he could appreciate a time like this, when one of his friends was bravely confronting him. And when that thought struck him, he finally understood. Yes, Dawn wanted to let him know what she was doing, but on the other hand, it had become clear that she was afraid. Her gaze wavered, her chest tingled, her knees wobbled.

Yes, she definitely needed his support.

"You'll be great, Dawn. After all, I was the one who helped you all this time." He puffed out his chest a little and it lightened up the mood, just as he'd hoped it would. "And that means that I've seen how strong you've gotten. I've watched you grow. You did well this time around, and you'll do even better next time. Your mom will support you too. I'd wish you luck, but you definitely don't need it."

He clapped her a couple times on the shoulder before withdrawing, a yawn expelling from his throat in the next moment. She beamed up at him, content with his answer. It wasn't until she left about ten minutes later that Ash realized the words he'd said, the wisdom he'd shared, had come from _him_. He must have matured at least a little bit then, right? Something bristled inside him, something proud. He had accomplished something, he had taken a step forward in the right direction. He wanted to rub somebody's face in it but that was probably going to lessen the value of the moment.

A few days later he, Brock, and Pikachu bid Dawn and her Pokemon farewell as the young girl boarded the ferry alone that was heading to Slateport City in the Hoenn region. And then Brock announced that he had to return home a little bit sooner as well. There was something about seeing one of his younger sisters off as she started her journey but no elaboration. Ash, apprehensive about parting with one of his best friends _again_, moved up his departure time so that they could at least journey back to Kanto together. They parted in Vermillion, where Ash decided he wanted to wander around and sight-see. He hadn't been there in over a year and Brock told him that it was good to see if anything had changed since then.

But nothing really interested him. The biggest shock had been finding out that Lieutenant Surge had gotten married. The woman, formerly employed by Ericka, had brought her green thumb with her. Now shrubbery and flowers littered the entryway of the electric Pokemon Gym. Surprisingly, Lt. Surge had welcomed the changes. He was obviously a big softie under all of his rippling pectorals, Ash surmised as he stared at the place where he'd earned one of his first badges in reminiscence.

_"Well, it seems like my next challenger is quite the cutie!"_ A distant voice echoed in his memory. He blinked, not sure why that had surfaced now. Sure, Lt. Surge had introduced himself all those years ago by flattering Misty, but that hadn't meant anything, right? Misty had definitely withheld any sort of forward responses anyway. And adolescent Ash had not sensed anything, hadn't noticed any detail at all out of place.

It must have been his subconscious putting him at ease then. Even now it was hard to understand but he could think of no other explanation. That had taken place so long ago. He didn't even know how he could have possibly remembered so--

--Suddenly, he realized he'd wandered too far, coming to a stop at the edge of the city only because he'd nearly run into the sign announcing the route number and the destination reached upon moving North. There was Saffron City and then. . . Cerulean City.

Ash gulped, drawing Pikachu's attention for the first time and apparently disturbing the nap he'd been preparing himself for.

"Pika pika pi chu, Pikapi?" He asked lazily, but peeked open one eye and saw for himself what was wrong. And then he got excited, "Chu pi pika Pikachu Pi?"

"No, no, we're not going to see Misty. Besides," he gave an exasperated sigh, "I told my mom that I'd be home in two days or less. She wants to cook me a congratulatory meal and can't wait to see us. That means no rest stops. Sorry buddy."

"Pikaaa. . ." Pikachu moaned, collapsing back into Ash's arms. And then he begged the question. "Pikapi, chu pikachu pi pika?"

"I don't know why I sound upset. I mean, I definitely love my mom's cooking, but I wouldn't mind. . ." He faltered then cleared his throat. "Never mind. Besides, we should head to the eastern exit of the city. Brock said that they excavated the cavern nearby for trainer usage. You know, the one that the Diglet and Dugtrio made all those years ago. After they began migrating, the cave became vacant so somebody opened it up to the public. That's how Brock got home too. So c'mon!"

He took off at a run without a second glance, telling himself all along that it was _not _because he really wanted to go the other way. The _long _way. The underground cavern would have him outside of Viridian City before the night was through, he thought logically. If he traveled through Saffron, there was no direct route to Pallet. It would take him almost a week to get home. He had to convince himself that the choice really wasn't a hard one to make. But then again, it still was.

It took a lot more emotional strength than it should have to tear himself away from the idea. In a matter of a few hours he had made it through the wide, empty tunnel. It was a lot easier with the electrical circuits lighting the way. It also limited the number of scavenger Pokemon that happened to make it down there too.

Soon enough he was outside, just south of Viridian City. The sun had set a short while ago and Ash had decided to camp out overnight. It was the safest thing to do when he was traveling alone, and he knew his friends would agree. Luckily the area was used quite often by other trainers looking for a good camping site and still well-lit thanks to the cave. He was able to find a clear area quickly. Stones centered around a dusty circle used for prior campfires and he took advantage of it.

"Hey Pikachu, think you can get the firewood alone while I prepare Brock's leftovers?" He asked his friend, who jumped lively from his shoulders and saluted his trainer from the ground. Then he took off at a run, almost too soon to hear Ash's warning. "But be careful! We haven't seen Team Rocket in awhile so who know when they'll strike again. . . !"

It took Ash little more than five minutes to dump all of Brock's ingredients into the pot. Pikachu reappeared a short while later with his paws full, trying to walk on his hind legs only. That didn't last very long but luckily, since a lot of trainers used the same camping place, one didn't have to go far to find the items necessary for a one night stay.

He put the fire together and lit the flames, then placed the pot over it and began to stir. It was one of Brock's best dishes, ironically also one of his easiest. Basically, every time they overstocked on produce or had something left from lunch, he would put it all together and make a stew. Brock had prepared it this time too of course; all Ash had to do was heat and stir occasionally.

Still Brock, ever the house maker, had done it again. After supporting ten siblings for the better part of his young life followed by two to four growing teenagers who were constantly on the road, he had overestimated in how much Ash would actually be able to finish off.

And worse than that, a lot of Pokemon didn't have the stomach for human food that wasn't one hundred percent natural, which was why Brock had also supplied him with a container of PokeChow.

By the time he'd given Pikachu his dinner and then served some for himself, he'd come to terms with the darkness of night and only his thoughts to keep him any real company. Then again, that was not so real, was it? But the loneliness sure did the trick. . . He finally understood what Dawn had meant in saying he thrived on companionship. Any random person would do him some good now.

"Even. . . even Team Rocket!" Ash exclaimed a little louder than he'd originally planned.

There was a distinctive rustle in some bushes nearby. He and Pikachu pricked up their ears, warily turning to face one another.

"Pika, Pikapi?"

"Yeah, maybe we should investigate. . . "

The two of them reached their feet and cautiously approached the shrubbery just in time. . . to hear it talking.

"Do you think he suspected us before, Jessie?" James whined.

"Don't be silly James, now be quiet!" Jessie admonished him with a hushed tone. "You know the plan and we've get to stick to it. We wait until the twerp falls asleep, and then we sneak up and steal Pikachu!"

"And den we's makes a run for it, right Jessie?" Meowth muttered.

"Well," Ash interrupted with a scowl, taking back what he'd said before. How could they _possibly _be good company? "Well, I don't see anything Pikachu, but maybe you should _Thundershock _it just in case," he pointed at the bush and winked.

Pikachu nodded and smirked mischievously, pretending to charge up for an attack.

"Pii. . . kaa. . ." He started to chant menacingly.

"No, no! Don't do that!" Three distinctively panicked voices shrieked, and the next thing Ash knew, the trio of baddies had appeared at his feet, and apparently his mercy as well. "We'll do anything, just don't blast us off!"

Ash sighed, not angry but decidedly irritated. More than that, however, was the downright crazy thought going through his head. No way could he possibly even be thinking of--

--The idea was interrupted by Team Rocket's unanimously growling stomachs. He raised an eyebrow at them but they seemed hell-bent on cowering before looking for food, even as their noses took a hopeful whiff at the pot sitting behind him on the fire. Silently, he weighed the pros and cons of what he was about to do. If he offered them all a place to sleep (though his campsite barely qualified as such) and a free meal, he and Pikachu would be on guard all night and hard-pressed to find sleep. If he didn't, the hunger that could _not _be sated by food and only by other people would continue to grow.

He inwardly cursed Dawn for her observational skills. He could have very well gone on _not _knowing how much he needed other people around, especially if it would lead to crazy thoughts like. . .

Before he knew it, he'd thrown an apologetic look at his Pikapal and given the three would-be villains before him the ultimatum.

"Look, if you guys promise on your lives that you won't try anything funny, you can stay here for the night." He would never admit to them that they were inadvertently doing him a favor too.

"Oh yeah? A - and why would we want to do that?" Jessie was the first to respond, on her feet with her hands at her waist indignantly a moment later.

"Psst. . . Jessie. . ." James tapped her on her leg from his place still on the ground, "Do you _smell _that? It smells great! We should ask for--"

"Who's is you's kidding, you idiot? Team Rocket don't ask for nothing! We's sees what we want and takes it!"

"That's right James! Just because the other twerp's food has been known to be heaven on a plate - and I would know since I've had to try some before - doesn't mean that we're going to get down and beg for freebees! I mean--" Her rant was interrupted by a steaming bowl that had been filled with Brock's leftover stew and held under her nose. She sniffed and whiffed some more until finally losing control, grabbing it for herself, and hurriedly devouring half of the contents in a matter of seconds.

"Jessie!" Meowth and James shouted, appalled at her behavior.

Regaining some dignity, she gathered herself to her full height and held the bowl for Ash to take again.

"Okay twerp. You've got a deal. As long as you can supply us with dinner for the night we promise that we won't make off with Pikachu. But when this is over, the next time we meet, Pikachu will be ours!" She gave a swift cackle.

"Jessie!" Her partners repeated, unsure of this plan.

Just as swiftly she turned and stuffed a spoonful of the leftover stew into James' mouth, then Meowth's. They both chewed for a few moments, expressions still filled with disbelief. However, that didn't last much longer.

". . . Agreed." They both nodded suddenly.

"Fine. But just so you know, in the event of itchy palms, I'm going to warn you ahead of time. _No _mercy." The dastardly trio laughed warily at this statement, half because they wondered if it was a bluff and half because they were positive it wasn't.

Ash's night with Jessie, James, and Meowth was. . . interesting in the sense that it went well. He had not expected it, not dared to dream of it, but then it had happened, leaving him with a rather peculiar feeling of comradary. They ate dinner in awkward silence - (Jessie had "accidentally" grabbed Pikachu instead of her bowl, which Ash had refilled for her) - and then Jessie forced James to do the dishes after. But when the task was finished nobody knew what to say. There was no common bond anymore.

It was Pikachu who broke the ice, diving into Ash's bag and removing a deck of playing cards. He pointed at everyone, talking in his native tongue, and Meowth translated for him. Apparently this was more than weird for him too, and he couldn't take the uncomfortable silence anymore. Especially if there was something that could mask it.

The card games entertained everyone for a couple hours, just long enough for Ash to realize he probably _should _be asleep already. Dare he admit that it had been fun? No, not out loud anyway. But in his own head, it was fine. It would be one of the few secrets that nobody else knew about him.

O-o-O

**Notes **- Hah, so I realized that the book-thing was a little misleading. Some of you guys may have thought that the book was going to be all this fic was about, and even when I began writing it, I might have been going that way, but then I just kept writing and now here we are. Lol. But the summary was accurate. This fic is about Ash growing up and learning the difference between boys and girls and it's going rather well.

Notice that the book made him try, and by the time he and Dawn are saying their farewells, he's basically become the kind of guy that the book is going for. It's fun to write it out, and I'm trying to still keep Ash Ash-like. Lol.

Only one more chapter to go, and it's gonna be time for Misty's return! Yay! Reviews would be much obliged!


	3. Part Three

**Disclaimer **- I'm too lazy to try and be creative about this. No, I don't own anything to do with the series, including plots or characters. I just take advantage of them.

**Notes **- Hah, well, I've been working on this fic in my notebook since around November of last year and a lot of things have happened that put it on hold, but I wanted to have it up on FFN by February 14th. You know, as a Valentines gift for all of the Pokeshippers still out there, let alone those of you who remember _me_. Lol.

Oh, also, there's some warning for. . . mature!Ash. Lol. I just wanted to put that out there in the open so nobody can come whining to me about how he isn't like himself.

This fic **starts **in Johto.

O-o-O

**Author **- Chibi / Warlordess

**Title **- "The Ancient Language of Mistynese"

**Summary **- Ash learns the difference about boys and girls while trying to understand Misty better. And thanks to Brock of all people.

O-o-O

**Part Three**

O-o-O

Ash awoke the next morning to a brisk fall chill and weak sunshine landing right in his eyes. He turned over and ignored the calling of daytime hours until he realized that it was a little too quiet for his liking. And then, of course, memories of the night before flooded his consciousness and he gasped, leaping upright and twisting in all directions.

Team Rocket was gone. . . and so was Pikachu!

"Should've known. . . Should've known!" Ash muttered furiously, sliding out of his sleeping bag as fast as possible. He was on his feet in an instant, turning round and round and gritting his teeth, fists clenched. He bent over and smashed his cap against his scalp, throwing his bag over his shoulder and snapping his PokeBelt to his waist. He shoved his feet into his tennis shoes and stood tall again.

"Pikachu!" He shouted as loud as he could, then turned around again. "Pikachu! Can you hear me?!" He cupped his hands to his mouth and tried one last time, calling out for his Pokemon but to no avail. He didn't know what to do. While he slept, Team Rocket had betrayed their truce and taken off. Who knew how much of a head start they had gotten? Where was he supposed to start looking? What was he supposed to do?

"Pi. . . ?" A muffled voice questioned behind him.

He turned and caught sight of Pikachu slowly marching forward, an apple clutched tightly in his mouth keeping him from openly expressing himself. Knowing that he was back at the campsite, he sat on his hind legs and placed the apple in his front, taking a bite and smiling up at his trainer, happy to see him awake and curious as to why he looked so panicked.

"Pikapi, pikachu pipipi chu pika?"

"You - you're okay. . ." Ash breathed deeply, aware that his knees had almost crumpled beneath him in his grief. Instead he slowly gained the strength back in his limbs and stumbled forward until he had reached his Pikapal's side and sat beside him. His appetite wasn't even awakened at the sight of the healthy looking fruit placed before him. "You _are _okay, right? Why didn't you answer me then? Where did Team Rocket go?"

"Pikachu pika pika pi chu chu."

"They left. . . earlier?" Pikachu had the grace to stop eating for a moment, the apple held in his mouth again as he lifted a paw and pointed to the other side of the campsite where Jessie, James, and Meowth had slept the night before. Not having a notepad or a pencil at the ready (at least, this was what Ash surmised), they had taken to writing in the dirt with a stick.

_"We'll be back for that Pikachu!" _Fancy, curvy writing wrote first. It could only belong to a woman, which meant it was from Jessie. _"Thanks for the meal, Twerp." _James' messy scrawl came next, begrudging but at least he had tried to be sincere. _"Meowth, dat's right!" _Well, it was pretty obvious who had written the last one.

"So. . . they really stuck to their promise?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, then went on to say, "Chu chu pi pika pikachu."

"The apple. Of course. So I slept a little late, huh? And you were hungry so you went to get something to eat?" Ash wanted to admonish Pikachu for worrying him, but he was too relieved that everything had worked out. Still, according to his Pokemon, they'd lost some time in traveling to Pallet, and since his stomach was queasy even now from the worry he'd felt up until a few minutes ago, he could go without breakfast. They were only an hour or so from his hometown anyway. He could wait until then. Plus, his mother's cooking would make him feel loads better compared to the instant packet miso Brock had supplied after his leftover stew.

"Well, hurry up buddy! Let's go home!"

Pikachu nodded his head excitedly and dropped the apple core to the ground. Then the two of them took off at a mad dash towards the direction of the giant dome-shaped building he saw in the distance over the treetops; Professor Oak's lab.

It took them the better part of the morning to finish their run back to Pallet Town, but it was worth it when Ash caught sight of the familiar homes and landscapes. He could even smell it in the air. _This _was his home, and he had learned to miss it well while he was away. He decided to slow down now. He could see the roof of his house from where he stood at the edge of the small town, but he also wanted to drink everything in.

Pikachu leapt up his arm and onto his shoulder, patting him on the head when he finished. He probably missed this place too.

The two of them cautiously marched the pathways into the residential district of Pallet, seeing and smelling Mrs. Ketchum's vegetable garden long before they'd made it to the yard. All seemed to be quiet as far as they knew.

Well, at least until Ash opened the front door.

"Surprise!" A chorus of voices rang out. It was a good thing he had been enjoying the familiar scents because his breath was temporary lost to him now. Pikachu nearly fell off his shoulder from the excitable shock, and it showed on Ash's face how much he hadn't expected anything like this.

The front door of the Ketchum home led straight into the kitchen and dining area, where the main table had been filled with all sorts of party foods and drinks. Behind that stood his mom, Professor Oak, Tracey, Brock (wasn't he supposed to be back home?), and Misty. Wait. . . Misty?

His eyes bugged out for a second before he lost sight of everything, thanks to his mother running up to him and throwing him into a fierce embrace.

"M - mom. . ." He heaved, but put his arms around her too. He couldn't turn down the affections of his mother after all. And when she'd finally chosen to release him a second later, he was able to ask, "What's going on? Why's everyone here?"

"Oh, c'mon honey, you did so well in the Orre region, and I knew you'd be hungry when you got back home. I figured we could make an event out of it. And your friends wouldn't want to miss it if they had the chance of being here with you." Delia smiled down at her son, before a slightly troubled expression found its way to her features. "I tried calling May here too, but she said that some Team Rocket members had intervened in the Johto Coordinating Festival, so they fell behind this year. She's supposed to be battling Drew tomorrow actually. . . She told me she was sorry, but we both agreed that you'd understand."

"A - ah, yeah, sure. . ." Darn, it would have been fun to go over May's latest techniques. He would have enjoyed meeting any and all of the new Pokemon she had to have caught while in Johto too, even if he had seen them all before. But that train of thought careened to a halt as his mother released him from her vice-like hug and his eyes tentatively landed on Misty. Just for a moment because he didn't like the feeling he got when he looked at her. How the hell was he going to act if he had really had the guts to venture to Cerulean then?

"Way to go, Ash! The Professor and I were watching the finals while you battled! You were great, as always." Tracey clapped him on the back with a friendly smile. Ash grinned weakly at him and he let go, only for Professor Oak to pat him on the shoulder a couple times.

"Never a dull moment with you, is there?" The elderly man said with an accompanied chuckle and a clearing of his throat. "How many times did you have to send Team Rocket packing?"

"Well a few. . . but not as many times as you would think." Ash laughed, facing the slightest bit of guilt at the thought of how he'd doubted them all that very morning. Just to have them prove him wrong. Well. . . there was a first for everything, wasn't there?

"And how's Pikachu doing?" Tracey said, and the Pokemon gave a friendly squeal of its name before leaping onto his shoulder. "It's been awhile hasn't it? I was starting to miss him. Man, and you're looking really well too," he said as he scratched behind Pikachu's ears, "If only I had my sketchpad with me. . ."

"Pikachu Pi!" It took less than a second for Pikachu to jump away from Tracey and straight into the approaching Misty's arms. He rubbed against her chin in a cat-like fashion and she giggled.

"I'm really happy to see you too. I'm glad _someone _didn't forget about me." And as she finished her statement, she turned and stuck her tongue out at Ash.

Huh? What did that mean? Shoot! It had been awhile, so his girl-reading skills had gotten a little rusty. But Brock was there too! He could always go and ask for that guide back, right?

"Hey Misty," and speaking of Brock, "I think I hear Azuril upstairs. It sounds like she woke up from her nap. I'd go get her but I need to check on a couple of the dishes."

"No, it's fine, she's my Pokemon anyway," and then she turned her gaze downward, "Hey Pikachu, you wanna go see your friend Azuril again?"

Pikachu grinned widely and leapt down from her arms, practically racing her into the living room and up the staircase.

By the time she'd come back downstairs with her infant Pokemon, the festivities had started. Ash wasted no time in filling two plates for himself and finding a seat by the archway leading into the living room. His mother was rushing around with Brock, making sure that any last minute platters and arrangements were taken care of, so he entertained Professor Oak and Tracey by giving them a play-by-play of his final match in the Sinnoh League championships. Misty joined the queue just in time to hear the disappointed undertone in his voice as he recalled his defeat, and Brock and his mom joined them during the awkward silence that persisted afterward.

He rubbed Pikachu affectionately under the chin, nibbling on a suddenly flavorless finger-food. He couldn't pay attention to it, he could barely recognize the action that was his chewing something edible. He didn't realize it until now that he'd hoped to do _so _much better. He had really gone to win. He loved participating in the Leagues around the world but he would admit to himself that it sometimes felt like he was growing sideways.

But if ever there was the perfect time for him to be down on himself, it was when he was around his family and friends who could boost him back up. This was why he couldn't live without them, why he always needed someone around. Sure, it was always more fun to experience things with other people, but more than that was the thought - the ability - to rely on someone in even the worst of situations and moments in time.

And boost him they did. There were plenty of handshakes, and his mom didn't know when hugging became a form of martial arts rather than endearment. It was comforting though. Even Brock, who had been there through the whole thing anyway, chose to give him an extra dose of condolence. If nothing else, it was the perfect distraction for Ash. He was able to ask the question that had been bugging him for the past forty or so minutes, even if the words he chose to use seemed a little bit insulting. Why was Brock here?

". . . Really Ash, if you had bothered to pay attention to any of our conversations having to do with my family while we were traveling then you would have known from the moment I told you about my sister leaving for her journey that it was a lie. All of my siblings have been on the road for at least half a year." Brock rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders, "Then again, I told you that lie specifically because I _knew _you didn't pay attention so I guess it's fine."

Needless to say that after that Ash felt a little embarrassed and humbled. So Brock had intended all along to beat him to his hometown and help set up the party with his mom. Well, it was fine. In the end it was just a good feeling to have these people around who had been with him since the beginning of his journey, or almost the beginning in Tracey's case.

After that he chose to enjoy himself. He had a mock battle against Brock in the backyard (swearing to his mother beforehand that he would keep far away from her garden), he let Tracey sketch Pikachu (although there was a quick pit stop to the lab up the street to pick up his sketchbook which everyone had forced him to leave behind that morning), he even made plans with Professor Oak to go visit his Pokemon the next day. Of course, that would only be after a good night's sleep.

Basically Misty was the only one he hadn't spent any real time with. He admitted that it felt a bit awkward around her, even if he couldn't place why. Even if it had been awkward around her for _awhile _now. He would have usually ignored that because she always acted normal. Now though, now she was avoiding _him_ just as much as he was _her_. He couldn't imagine why. It wasn't like anything had changed between them, you know, unless she had realized that - as aforementioned - he had been feeling differently towards her for awhile and it had showed in his behavior.

Oh no. . . Could that have been it? It wasn't like he had particularly tried to hide it, but he hadn't considered that she could be any more perceptive than he was. The only reason that he had known the difference between the two of them at all was because of that stupid book Brock had leant him a few years ago. . . Jeez, had it really been that long now? But retaining focus meant realizing that, indeed, one of the differences between boys and girls might have very well been that perception. Slowly, slowly. . . Ash's doubt had grown and his feelings had begun to bubble overtop his head over the course of the past few years.

Leave it to Misty to know this before anybody else.

After his second battle against Brock, he sat down on the white bench on the back patio. The sun was brighter now than it was in the semi-darkness of the wooded area between Viridian and Pallet, and it had gotten warmer. Of course these mental notes only served the purpose of distracting him from what he had been concluding before, but not so much as what happened next.

A tall glass appeared right in front of his face, between his eyes, held up by a pale and slender hand. A hand that could only belong to a girl.

Rather than take the glass of water, he continued to stare blankly. Finally Misty got fed up with that and came from behind him, rolling her eyes and scoffing. Apparently she had to use her words, something Ash didn't seem capable of just yet.

"You look thirsty."

". . . Huh?"

She shoved the beverage into his arms without holding back, almost spilling it down his front. Why did she have to be so persistent? But the better question than that was why was she trying so hard if all he was going to do was stare _through _her?

"I said you look thirsty."

"What?"

"What are you, Ash? Deaf? Just drink it already!" She nearly yelled. Tracey glanced over at the two of them from his spot in the living room where he was sketching a content Azuril, but then he turned back with a small grin. The Professor had gone to the kitchen area to help Mrs. Ketchum and Brock clean up some of the dirty pots and utensils.

Finally he glanced down at the water in his hand and took a gulp, Misty saw it as an opportunity to sit beside him. Even though that made him feel even more uncomfortable about everything, Ash chose to ignore it at first. But of course, he couldn't entertain himself with his drink for much longer. . . And sure enough, a few hearty gulps later and it was completely finished.

"So. . ." He started by means of breaking the ice.

"Yeah. So. . ." Well, she had to start somewhere. "So you placed fifth in the Sinnoh League? That's not bad, Ash. I'd say after six years you're finally starting to retain something from your training that will help you where it counts. Good for you," she finished with a smirk.

"Oh well I'm glad that you think so, Misty. Your opinion matters _so _much to me." But instead of matching his insult with a facial expression he began to look troubled again. Damn; and right after he'd almost come to terms with that loss. Of course she'd be the one to beat him up about it.

". . . But I was serious." Misty murmured, her own expression unsettling. Ash wanted to believe her but found it hard to look her in the eyes. "Fine Ash, you can think whatever you want and sulk for however long you want. But the way I see it is if you try and try and _fail_, and you care enough about your failure to be disappointed in yourself, then that means you'll feel obligated to try harder. You'll do better next time won't you? Just think about the Indigo League. You tapped out after getting into the top sixteen and you didn't even want to get out of bed because you couldn't get over the loss. . . But when you challenged Lance at the Orange League, you beat him. Do you see what I mean? It'll happen again as long as you take your failure and use the experience to your advantage."

He hummed at her to show that he had heard. Strangely enough her words made him feel a little bit better. She had gone through so much trouble to bring him down; he didn't think she was capable of building him back up too.

"So do you know where you'll be going next?"

"No." Well at least she had gotten a response from him, "I'll be doing a little research with Professor Oak tomorrow when I go to visit all of my Pokemon at the preserve. He said that a few new specialty Leagues have opened up that I might be interested in."

"Oh. I suppose Brock will be going with you then, won't he? And knowing you, you'll probably get there and meet a lot of new people on your first day and someone else will end up traveling with you. . ." She faltered here, the sense of nostalgia striking against her sinuses.

Ash wasn't really sure about that, no matter how much Misty seemed to be. He could see what she meant though. He'd met May really early on into his journey through Hoenn, and then Max soon after. And Dawn had already become pretty good friends with Pikachu before he'd even met her, so it almost made sense that she would join him if only to sate his Pokemon's feelings. It had never been hard for him to befriend people, and though there were a lot of trainers who chose to travel alone, there were still some who cared more for being part of a group, like him.

"Yeah, maybe. But that's not a bad thing, is it? I'd like the chance to help some other younger trainers out, just like I did for May and Dawn."

This wasn't what Misty wanted to hear. In truth, she really didn't know what she wanted to hear, but him bragging about how he'd bettered novice trainers and basically moved on from the three-plus years that the two of them had traveled together was not at the top of the list. Ash finally sensed something was amiss and, almost automatically, a continuation of his previous statement flowed from his lips.

"I mean, I got so far because I had more experienced trainers helping me from the beginning."

She gave a sharp little laugh, not cold but just a little skeptic. It had been awhile since they'd talked like this. She had almost forgotten what Ash was able to say to her in order to keep her frustrations in check.

"Yeah, and as we're both aware, the worst thing about beginner trainers is that they think they know the answers to everything."

"So true. Why else do you think I want to be the motivating coach that brings out the best in them earlier on?"

"Right? I mean, some of them even start out ignoring the advice of their betters and pitting bug Pokemon against bird Pokemon despite the so very obvious type disadvantage!"

"I know. It's so hard to believe that some of them could be that dense, isn't it?"

". . . You do realize I was talking about _you_, right?" She asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"No!" Ash gave a mock-shocked look and placed a hand to his chest as if wounded by her words, "I definitely didn't know that at all!"

". . . Just checking." She was silent for a moment longer before gracing him with a few more choice words. "You know what though? I just realized that I never had the chance to find the answers I was looking for."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well you know," she began to count the instances on each of her fingers, "you started treating me differently - good, but still obviously different. You knew what to say to make me feel better, you kept us from fighting a lot of the time, and then. . . you sort of grew distant. You began to separate yourself from me. As far as I can tell, it can all be traced back to your _growth spurt _in Johto. You know what I'm talking about."

Oh. So they were back to that, were they?

"Don't get me wrong. Like I said before, it wasn't a bad thing. But it freaked me out at first, and then it started scaring me." She ignored the look she received after admitting that. She wasn't prepared to tell him just yet _why _his change in behavior happened to scare her so much.

_"An Ash who understands me can do a lot more damage to me than an Ash who doesn't."_

That was what she'd told Brock so long ago, and it still held true. Ash looked her over, waiting for her to continue talking, but she clammed up after that. She was waiting for him to break the ice. After so much silence, after their time together, time apart, and now the in-between that led to the re-growth of what they'd been able to share when they were younger. . . he had to help bridge some of the gaps that he'd caused.

Really, he was almost okay with it. Thinking back on it, he had never meant to leave her without those answers she craved for so long. He had told himself from the beginning that it was only until he could understand her better, and then when she had gotten suspicious, he had forced himself to wait until he could figure out _why _he wanted to understand her better. But then her sisters had contacted them in Viridian and she was gone the same afternoon. After realizing that Brock's book had not helped him in telling her what she needed to hear, after vocalizing what he had internalized for many months beforehand, she had suddenly left and he had returned that book to its rightful owner. Honestly, he had forgotten that there might come a time when she would again ask for the truth, even if he owed it to her.

"Do you remember the first time I said the _right_ thing to you?" He asked her. She furrowed her brow and shook her head a second later. Well, it _had _been a few years. "We were fighting about getting lost again and I brought up how you had gotten us lost the other time but you blamed it on me and said it was because you couldn't concentrate since Togepi was unhappy."

"Okay. . ." She drew out the last syllable, "But how is it that you remember all of that?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's important, or maybe it's not. Anyway, it was about a week before that when Brock pulled me aside and offered me this stupid, _stupid _book he'd written. And I'm serious, he hand-wrote it. He told me it was a guide on how to figure out what girls meant when they talked. Since I'm such a nice guy I didn't know how to tell him that I definitely wasn't interested in it, so he gave it to me to use for awhile." Throughout this explanation he could tell that Misty's expression was changing from curious to mild disblief. "But wait, there's more. I read a little bit at night and, at some point, something stuck with me. Enough so that, when we had that argument, I remembered something I could use."

"Y - you. . . you used a book to figure out what to say to me? A book that _Brock _wrote?" She didn't sound like she wanted to shoot him dead yet, which he assumed was her permission to keep talking. Little did he know that she was retracing the memories all that time ago.

"Um, yeah. At first it was great because I knew how to one-up you. I mean, you didn't know what to say the first time I used the books advice. I mean, you apologized to me. I wasn't sure why at the time, and I felt bad because I thought I was tricking you," he forced himself to ignore her flinch as she realized the same thing, "but then Brock has happy and Pikachu stopped shocking us out of our fights. I figured it was a win-win. And the second time I used it, I was able to tell you something that you _wanted _to hear. It made me feel good for some reason because we started getting along better.

"It only got better after the third time. You were angry about all of those girls that Brock was flirting with, and don't even tell me that's not true!" He got a little louder to stop her from interrupting him. "You laughed at my jokes because they distracted you from your frustration. That's right, it took me a few years but I figured it out at some point.

"Unfortunately you got suspicious, which I guess makes sense. I mean, you're not dense so of course you would. I realized though when you were trying to interrogate me that I kind of liked it when we weren't fighting and when I knew what you were trying to tell me. I didn't get it before then, why you were always bossy and loud and even a little violent. I thought you just didn't like me at all." Her jaw dropped and she opened her mouth again but he grinned at her. "Well, I guess that's laying it on a bit thick. Yeah, you probably liked me before I knew what to say. It's just that it was still hard to get along with you. So I lied when you tried to get me to tell you what was up.

"Finally there were the Whirl Islands."

Misty quirked an eyebrow. True, she barely remembered everything he was telling her, but as he revealed the layers of his deception, the moments unraveled from her mind and laid before her like an old film. And she definitely wasn't seeing anything in her mind's eye that referred to the Whirl Islands. . .

"Oh, but I guess you never knew about it. Well, I bought you that stupid Tentacool doll you liked so much." Her eyes widened but she bit her lip, not knowing what to say to that one. "I was going to give it to you when you lost to me in our match at the Whirl Cup competition--"

"--Whoa, hold on, you thought I was going to lose?" She yelled at him, finally getting a word or two out.

"Uh, did I say _when_? I meant _if_. If is what I meant." He coughed and avoided eye contact, his fingers tapping against the glass still in his hand. "What, can you blame me? I was young, egotistical, irresponsible. Of course I thought I was better than you. . . Anyway, yeah, so I bought the doll to give to you. Or maybe I was never going to give it to you. I was really nervous holding onto it the whole time. I think I actually lost some sleep to it. But since you won, I really didn't know what to do, so I gave it to Nurse Joy."

Oh, _that _part she remembered perfectly. Well, at least finding out that someone had donated a plush doll to the PokeCenter. She almost couldn't believe that it had been Ash all along.

"I gave the book back to Brock the same day you went home from Viridian."

Her eyes narrowed here. She hated that day. She had been so emotionally spent by the end of it, even considering the best part, like when Ash had finally admitted to her that they were best friends, and that he'd thought they were destined to meet each other on the first day of his journey. Was he about to tell her that Brock's book had been responsible for that too?

"When you yelled at me at the PokeCenter there and then ran off, I felt ridiculous. I thought I was doing the right thing in telling you to go, I thought it was my job as your friend to wish you luck. But it wasn't what you wanted to hear. When Brock and I went after you and found you battling the three idiot trainers, I spent a lot of the time trying to figure out exactly what you were expecting from me. And whatever I said was right, I guess. . . The only problem was that, even though you seemed okay with leaving all of a sudden, I didn't really want you to go. Especially when Brock said he'd be going too." But he had kept that to himself the whole time, accepting the fact that sometimes people needed to separate themselves from others in order to grow.

"I met May a couple weeks later, and then Brock followed me out to Hoenn. At some point I started fighting with her and he offered me his guide again, but I didn't want it. I think he thought I wanted to struggle through on my own, but really I was just uncomfortable using it on someone else. I kind of liked knowing that I got to know _you _better because of it. And then there was Dawn," he hurried along in saying, feeling her stare him down after that particular comment, "and I started from scratch with her, but I think the guide was in my head by then. When she was trying to tell me goodbye and that she wanted to be independent - even in not so many words - I figured out what she needed to hear from me.

"And now. . ." He faltered, turned to look at her, and shrugged. He was tapped out. Really, there was nothing left to say. Well, nothing left for _him_ to say.

"You idiot," she started with a huff, "I would have taken that Tentacool doll no matter what you said to me at the time." Though, in all honesty, she probably would have hit him if he'd mentioned how he thought she was going to lose their match in the Whirl Cup. "You do realize you're going to buy me another one no matter what, right?"

"Uh. . . Sure?" He said, hoping it was the answer she expected to hear. But her wrath wasn't over yet.

"And I can't believe this all happened because of _Brock_. You do realize I'm going to have to burn that stupid book of his, right? I mean, as if it really would help him figure out any girl. We're not stereotyped, you know? Just because it worked for me doesn't mean it would work for anyone else. I mean, it _barely _worked for me, probably only because I was such a romantic when I was younger. When you started treating me better, I thought that you. . . uh," she coughed here and decided not to finish what she'd been saying, "uh, well, I guess I thought you trying to trick me. But no, you used a book to get on my good side. You should consider yourself lucky that I see you as a victim too, otherwise you wouldn't be able to stand on your own two feet right now. . ."

"Well, I don't know about me, but don't you think Brock's had enough punishment, knowing that his so-called masterpiece never has and never will work for him?"

Her gaze softened just a little, and he wasn't sure if it was because she could tell Brock would have been suffering all this time or if his puppy-dog face was doing the trick nicely on its own.

"Fine. I won't hurt him. But I'm still going to have to burn the abomination."

"So you won't hurt him _physically._" In truth, that was good enough for him. Brock had spent months weeping over the loss of Professor Ivy. He could handle a few weeks more due to the loss of a stupid guide for dummies.

"But it makes sense, I guess. I mean, there's no way you would have grown up so much on your own in such a short span of time. . . I feel stupid for even considering it. And Brock had basically spelled it out to me that what you were doing wasn't all bad, and you too. But I didn't like that there was something going on and I was the only one who didn't know what it was." Her tone became more somber as she went on. "I guess maybe you were right when you tried guessing why I needed to know. Were you tricking me? Were you pulling a huge joke and making me wait for the punch-line? I hated knowing only half of what was going on, mostly because I _didn't _hate it, but I figured it was all going to blow up in my face. And then you really got me at the time by telling me that was exactly the opposite of what you were doing. So all I could think was that I had to trust you because you weren't going to come clean on your own just yet.

"Of course, then I left to go home after all of that crap in Viridian City. So much happened that I actually kind of forgot about it for a little while. But during those rare times you called or wrote, I kept wondering if the next thing you were going to say was going to be the truth, no matter if that was good or bad. And when you never alluded to it, I assumed that you'd forgotten it all too. And our conversations never got so deep that you would have to try those tricks on me again. . ."

She leaned back in her seat with a deep sigh as though she didn't have anything left to say. He followed her choice in action, but was still prepared when she finally picked her next words.

"You know, I don't know how to put it but I guess the best way is to just say it. I think - I mean, I _know_ - that I'm stuck with the path I've chosen; going home, running the Gym, and now helping my sisters so that they can take responsibility for the Gym too. . . But back then, when we'd gotten to Viridian and had just found out that I had to leave, if I could have had more of a choice, and if you had told me something different rather than just wishing me luck. . . I never would have left you."

Ash blinked but made no sudden moves. It was one of many translated lines in the book, what she'd just told him. It meant so many different things though they were all related. Now that his not so new-found knowledge was out in the open, he could even wonder if Misty had worded her statement like that on purpose. It had been awhile since he'd relied on those notes Brock had made in his book, but if she was asking for this answer then he was certainly going to give it. And finally, casually and boldly, he was able to tell her the last of his few secrets.

"Yeah Misty. I love you too."

O-o-O

**Notes **- Awe, yay, it's over! I love the fact that, from the beginning, I knew exactly how I wanted to end it. Lol. This reminds me of what I've ranted to myself about all this time. It's not like Ash has no romantic feelings, he just doesn't get what it is. If nothing else, he's so in touch with his emotions that he's almost a wimp. Lol. I keep wondering, if someone were to spell out different situations to him at first, wouldn't he begin to understand everything better? Like the Rudi-thing. If Tracey had just said, "Dude, he's flirting his butt off with Misty," I think Ash would have had a more obvious response. Lol. But that's just me.

And I'd like to thank everyone who told me specifically how proud and impressed that they were about me keeping up to date with the series by including Ash's travels with Dawn. I admit I was a little nervous because I've mentioned her in fics before but never gave her a speaking role until now. Not only that, but I don't watch Pokemon anymore. I don't have the time and there's too much to keep up with. I own a few of the Sinnoh episodes in original Japanese on my computer, and then the English version of the Buizel (not sure I spelled that right) eppie because Ash had his Misty-lure and it was cool beans. Yes, I did just say cool beans. Screw you, I'm really old, okay? Lol.

But anyway, that's it I think. Thanks to everyone for reading. No, there will be no more chapters, and no sequels. This is it folks! But I appreciate the business. Please review and tell me what you thought! And that you liked it! XD (If you didn't then I don't want you here!) Also, for those who are curious, my next project will be the epilogue of Illicit Saints! I hope to have that posted in a few months or less, although I'm not so inspired to write it. I hope once I start, the words will just flow, like they did for this fic at some point. But nice comments about how awesome I am might inspire me more. {^.^}


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